Lewis Katz, Philly Inquirer co-owner, dies in plane crash

(JTA) — Lewis Katz, co-owner of the Philadelphia Inquirer and a philanthropist, died in a plane crash in Massachusetts.

Katz, 72, died Saturday night at an airfield near Boston. The Gulfstream IV plane he was riding in with six other people crashed after takeoff from Hanscom Field, according to reports.

Philadelphia Inquirer editor Bill Marimow confirmed Katz’s death to the media on Sunday. The identities of the other passengers have not yet been released.

Katz and H.F. Gerry Lenfest last week bought out the newspaper’s other partners for $88 million.

Katz grew up in Camden, N.J., where he had concentrated his charitable giving, including to two Boys and Girls Clubs, the Jewish Federation of Southern New Jersey, Congregation Beth El, Temple University and to the Jewish Community Center in Cherry Hill, which is named in memory of his parents.

Katz, who attended Temple University, is a former owner of the New Jersey Nets professional basketball team and the National Hockey League’s New Jersey Devils.